Tuesday, November 11

Pear and Cardamom Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

It's the same every autumn. Pears sit quietly in the wings while apples take center stage.

It's no wonder. Think about it. Do kids crave candied pears every Halloween? Do moms pack pear sauce in their kids' lunch boxes? Can something be as "all-American as pear pie"?

Pears are good. Some pears, such as Seckel pears -- diminutive, super sweet fruits-- are surprisingly good. Overall though, they just don't get the respect of apples.

When it comes to baking, however, pears blossom into something special. In fact, I have made this cardamom coffee cake with pecan streusel twice -- once with apples and once with pears. You can tell which one I preferred.

Given their mild flavor, pears work beautifully with cardamom, a enticingly fragrant spice. Though a relative of ginger, cardamom has a unique flavor that is difficult to describe. It is intensely aromatic yet not overwhelming in flavor. It has notes of ginger, clove, and citrus, which is why it works so well when paired with fall fruits.

So, go ahead and give pears a little limelight.

So tell me, do you like pears?
What are your favorite ways to cook and bake with pears?

Oh, and congratulations, Haley! You are the winner of Food to Live By.

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with cooking spray an 8 inch square pan.

To make the streusel, in a small bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, cardamom and pecans and toss until well combined. Pour melted butter evenly over mixture, and using your fingers quickly toss and pinch the mixture until little pebbly pieces form. Refrigerate while making the cake.

Peel and dice pears and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.

In another large bowl, using an electric hand mixer cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat at medium speed until light. Reduce speed to low and add the buttermilk. Beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients; beat until just incorporated and the flour is dissolved. The batter will be thick and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the diced pears until well blended.

Pour the batter into the pan and gently shake it to even it out. Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the top of the cake and press lightly with your hands.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool at room temperature.

Unmold the cake, and place on a rack. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

51 comments:

ohhh. that looks good! i do like pears quite a bit. i always make a pear cake with spiced whipped cream and candied pecans for my mom's birthday every year. this looks delicious, though! there's a stall at our farmer's market that sells pear cider... mmmm. so good! maybe one day, pears will get the treatment they deserve ;)

This looks divine! You are so right though, I am one of the ones always focused on the apples (esp. Honeycrisp) and I leave the lonely pears sitting on the market's shelf. You have inspired me to reach for the pear!

Pears are not really a fruit I grew up with (they don't really grow where I live) so I am actually a pear-newbie! They do sell them here now though (imported) so I do want to give them a whirl...the only way I've ever prepared them (so far!) has been poached and in jam...those were definitely yummy! Thanks for sharing another way to cook them!

There are certain types of pairs that I find too grainy-- but once cooked, they are all so lovely and buttery :) And perfect in baking too. I am loving the coffee cake! I'd say it's my favorite way to have pears ;)

Pear trees have been part of my life twice: my grandparents had a pear tree behind their little house in Brooklyn, and we used to climb it all the time when I was little; and then I moved to this house in Rhode Island and inherited a pair of pear trees. In the years when our trees yield a lot of fruit, I make pear cake, pear tarts, pear pies -- even pear soup. I love cooked pears, even more than cooked apples.

I like pears, but I didn't used to. I think I was in college before I decided I liked them. They're wonderful with cheddar cheese or a handful of almonds as a snack.

I don't bake much with pears because my husband absolutely hates them. It's too bad because there are so many wonderful pear cakes and tarts out there.

This year I have been very disappointed with the pear crops around here. I haven't had many good pears, so I wouldn't be likely to bake with them. Maybe next year they will be better and I'll do some more bakign with them and just bypass Sir Pickypants and take the goods to my office.

You are so right - pears never get the kudos of apples, and I do have to say that for the longest time I much preferred apples. For me, it was a textural thing - I like the crispness of apples that most pears lack, but when you bake this becomes irrelevant. Love the sound of this cake as pear and cardamom is a winning combination. My favourite pear recipe is the pear & cardamom tarte tatin I made last year:http://www.cooksister.com/2007/04/pear_and_cardam.html

Pears are such a dependable kind of fruit ... if you get a really ripe one, just slurping it down on the back deck or over the sink is a joy ... more solid ones are perfect for baking. But even more than pears, I do love cardamom!

I saw this pair of pears yesterday, and probably a couple of times today! Just didn't read the contrasting, larger size text above the coffee cake. I was probably distracted by the crumbly goodness! I'm excited for the book!

If you do decide to try canning them in brandy, use the smaller seckel pears which can retain their shape and stems in the jar. They need about a month to really soak, so start them soon for Christmas.

I do like pears. I have been using various types of pears, depending on what I'm going to make. I usually use Perre Bosch for poaching, although when I want to have a smaller versions of them, I use Corella pears. Lovely poaching them and drizzled with maple syrup or bittersweet chocolate sauce. For salad, I usually use nashi, it is the round pears with brown skin and it is very juicy and sweet. When it's still crisp, I like to throw them into the salad. Lovely!

Right now we're eating Asian pears everyday for as long as we can get them from a local grower. Around the holidays I like to make a pear upside down cake in a cast iron skillet - very homey and rustic.Your recipe sounds delicious, I can almost smell it through your photo!

That is too funny! I just posted about pears in a cake!! My favorites are Forelles...small like seckel pears. I love poaching them with star anise, cloves, etc...and serving them hot with vanilla ice cream.

i'm totally guilty of ignoring pears. if i had to pick a favorite way to use them, i suspect that your coffee cake here would be high up on the list. i simply can't ignore a streusel topping like that. :)

I made your cake this weekend, and it was delicious! I used apples -- sorry, but in upstate NY that's what we're awash in. Also, the apples were Margils, which are a little 18th-century French variety of dessert apple that's often described as pear-like. So the spirit of the thing was intact.

I wouldn't have dared to put in that much cardamom on my own, but it was great -- thanks!

sarah-yay! Thank you so much for letting me know. I haven't tried Margils, but from your description, I know I'd love them. I kept experimenting with the cardamom until I found just the right amount, so I'm glad you liked it as well.

I love pears and cardamom--I am definitely going to try this recipe--sounds amazing.

My husband's aunt gave me a pear pie recipe that is to die for...I really can't get enough of it! (and ate the 1st pie all by myself) recipe here: http://bad-girls-kitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/pear-pie.html

And this year I experimented with pear butter that turned out quite well (I couldn't find a recipe, so I improvised) http://bad-girls-kitchen.blogspot.com/2008/09/pear-butter.html

Ooh! I also recently made a lovely Maple-Pear Upside Down Cake! So old-fashioned and delicious! http://bad-girls-kitchen.blogspot.com/2008/11/maple-pear-upside-down-cake.html